Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2021 July 14 - 27 [US FORCES]

VFP in Okinawa opposes use of sand that includes remains of Okinawa Battle victims to build a new US base

Veterans for Peace (VFP) Ryukyu/Okinawa Chapter International declared its opposition to the use of sand collected in southern Okinawa to reclaim land to build a new U.S. base in the Henoko district of Okinawa's Nago City as the sand includes the remains of Okinawa Battle victims.

The VFP Okinawa chapter held a press conference in the Okinawa prefectural government office on July 15 and published a draft resolution the chapter sent to its head office in the United States against the soil-use plan.

Douglas Lummis, the head of the VFP local, said that the resolution was made in solidarity with the Okinawans volunteer movement to collect the remains of victims of the 1945 Battle of Okinawa which has led to a civic campaign to stop the soil-use plan.

The resolution points out the possibility that the soil may also include the remains of foreigners, including U.S. soldiers. Lummis, an 84-year-old veteran, said that "there are people who cannot stand" the insulting treatment of the remains outside of Japan, too.

The resolution calls on the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) to investigate this issue and to put pressure on the Japanese government to stop insulting the war dead and Okinawans. VFP members will take a vote on the resolution next month at the VFP National Convention. If approved, the resolution will be sent to the DPAA director.

Past related articles:
> JCP Akamine: Don’t use soil from ‘killing zone’ in Battle of Okinawa to build new US base in Henoko [February 18, 2021]
> Rally held to oppose use of soil from 'killing zone' in Battle of Okinawa for Henoko base project [November 28 & 30, 2020]
> Okinawans angry at Defense Ministry intent to use earth from killing zone in WWII for Henoko US base project [September 18, 2020]